The Vertical Tasting was excellent! For those of you who may not have heard of a Vertical Tasting let me explain…a Vertical Tasting is one in which you compare several expressions of the same scotch. In this case we had two whiskies: Auchroisk (two expressions) and Glen Elgin (three expressions).
Many members at our October 2013 tasting considered it among the best ever because all five whiskies presented were exceptional. Generally speaking there is always at least one whisky in the five that is considered “just okay” when compared to the rest. That was not the case this time around. Each one was as good as the last…..making the ranking very difficult.
But because we are the River City Whisky Society, and we are very dedicated, we gave each one a fair tasting. Some we tasted twice, just to be thorough. Here are the rankings (with #1 being the best) and some tasting notes from the attendees. Again, this is was a tough choice and you could not go wrong with any of these.
#5. Glen Elgin, 9 years old, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, Cask #804576, $40
Sweet nose, Taste of Tangerine & Honey, Hints of smoke & oak, Taste of Citrus, Very clean.
#4. Glen Elgin (1996), 13 years old, bottled by Signatory, Cask #2338, $60
Great aroma, bit more bite than the 9 year old, Taste of citrus and spices, full bodied, Short finish.
#3. Glen Elgin (1975), 29 years old, bottled by Lombard’s, $150
Light/soft aroma, Cloves on the nose, Tons of flavor, Taste of vanilla, Very smooth, Smoky finish, Lingering pleasant finish.
#2. Auchroisk, 20 years old, $150
Very sweet, Mild caramel taste, Spicy on the palate, Butterscotch finish, Long finish
#1. Auchroisk (1990), 22 years old, Bottled by Signatory, Cask #3661, $95
Sweet nose, Rich caramel and butterscotch, Smooth, Very clean, Awesome!
Two final items:
1) I want to thank Bill M. (Member #33), otherwise known as “Scotch Guy”, for selecting the brands and expressions. Great job!!!
2) A new member joined the River City Whisky Society at this tasting. Please join me in welcoming Clark M (Member #53) who was brought in by his son Jeff M (Member #25).
Next stop…….the River City Whisky Society Christmas Party on December 7th.
Doug #1
So sad that I missed it, assuming there is nothing left to taste.